Rotary internal combustion engine



3,438,358 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE K F. w. PoRscH ET Al? April 15, 41969 S ORSCH POR H INVENTOR l J WALT ATTORNEY April 15, 1969 F. w. PoRscl-l ET AL 3,438,358

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Aug. 25,` 19e? sheet e of 2y Fica.y 3

FIG. 2

INVENTORS. FRED W. PORSCH g WALTERF PORSCH B www Mw |ATTORNEY United States Patent U.S. Cl. 123--17 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotary internal combustion engine has a hinged piston arrangement and a carrier therefor capable of operating the pistons in hinged movement and in sequence for proper engine operation. The pistons have inwardly extending cam follower members engageable with stationary cam means t operate the pistons.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rotary internal combustion engines.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a rotary internal combustion engine which is compact in structure and utilizes a minimum of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an engine of the type described which by means of a selected housing structure and rotary piston carrier, together with a novel porting arrangement, accomplishes the various functions of fuel intake, fuel compression, tiring and exhaust in an eflicient manner without the use of valves.

A further object of the invention is to provide an engine of the type described which employs a hinged piston arrangement and a carrier therefor capable of operating the pistons in hinged movement and in sequence for accomplishing the necessary functions of engine operation.

Briefly stated, the engine of the present invention includes a housing in which is rotatably mounted a carrier having hinged piston members adapted for pivoted movement relative to the carrier. The pistons have inwardly extending cam follower members engageable with stationary cam or guide means which serve to hingedly move the pistons in their various functions of fuel intake, fuel compression, firing and exhaust. The carrier is propelled rotatably by the inward thrust of the pistons working on the cam means in a hinged, pivoted motion, the housing being provided with suitable fuel inlet means, firing means, and exhaust means in association with the pistons.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects will become apparent from the following specification and claims, considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein the numerals of reference indicate like parts and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional View of the present rotary internal combustion engine taken on the line 1-1 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional View of the engine taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the engine in reduced scale with relation to the other figures.

Referring now in particular to the drawings, the present engine comprises a housing having essentially an annular wall 12, a first side wall 14 integrated with the annular wall 12, and a second side wall 16 removably secured, as by stud screws 18, to the housing opposite from the side Wall 14. Side wall 14 has an integral boss 20 with a bore 22, and rotatably engaged in the bore 22 is the engine drive or output shaft 24. A suitable journaled relationship is established between the shaft 24 and the bore 22 by means of a bearing bushing 26.

3,438,358 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 ICC Housing 10 has one or more hollow areas 28 in thx walls thereof which comprise cooling liquid passageway into which is connected an inlet conduit 30 and an outle conduit 32. These conduits are suitably connected in serie: with cooling means such as a radiator, not shown. Hous ing 10 is provided with base members or feet 33 or othe. suitable means for anchoring it in a stationary position The inner end of drive shaft 24 is integrally connecter to a piston carrier 34 dimensioned and arranged for ro tation within housing 10 with its side walls in rotatablf engagement with the inner surfaces of the side walls o the housing and the periphery thereof in rotatable seal ing engagement with an annular bearing bushing 36.

Piston carrier 34 has a central recess 37 from whicl lead a plurality of radial cylinders or openings 38. These cylinders are defined by straight side walls 40, FIGURE 2, a concaved trailing end wall 42, and an angular, straigh leading end wall 44, the latter end wall being angularlj disposed in a direction to provide a widening dimensior of the cylinders 38 toward the outer surface of carrier.

Pivotally connected at theirleading ends in the outer portion of the cylinders 38, as by hinges 46, are piston: 50 which have an inwardly disposed base portion 52 pro vided with a rounded outer surface 54. The pistons 5( are adapted for hinged movement inwardly and outwardl) in t-he cylinders 38 with the trailing edge 56 moving ir close relation along concaved trailing end walls 42 of th cylinders 38. As will be seen hereinafter, such hinge( movement of the pistons is accomplished in the variou: functions of engine operation.

To provide a good sealing engagement of the side wall: of the pistons 50 with the side walls which define thc cylinders 38 as well as the concaved trailing end walls 42 the pistons are provided with sealing rings 58 along thc two sides and the trailing edge 56. Also for the purpost of providing a sealing engagement for the piston arount the outer opening of cylinders 38, there is provided an nular sealing gaskets 60 defining the peripheral open enc of such cylinders and engageable by the curved surface of the pistons around the outer edges of the latter. Sealing gaskets 60 are seated in suitable recesses 62 arount the cylinders 38.

Four cylinders are illustrated in FIGURE 1, but it i: to be understood that more or less of such cylinders ma) be provided.

Each of the pistons has a pair of inwardly extending integral arms 66, and supported at the ends of these armi are shafts 68 on which are mounted elongated rollers 70 These rollers are disposed between the arms 66. Shafts 6 extend beyond one of the arms 66, namely, beyond the arm on the side of the side wall 14, and rollers 72 arf carried on such extended shaft ends. Thus, each of the pistons carries rollers 70 and 72, which as will be seer hereinafter, comprise cam follower means.

Secured to the side wall 16 of the housing, as by meant of stud screws 74, and disposed in the recess 37, is z circular insert or block 76 cut away in a peripheral portion thereof, FIGURE 2, to form a cam 78 having the surface shape shown in FIGURE 1. That is, this cam ha: a front radially extending surface 78a, a top rounded surface 78b, a rear radially extending surface 78e, and e generally rounded bottom surface 78d. It is to be notec from FIGURE l that the bottom portion of the cam if larger than the upper portion and thus as viewed frorr the end the cam 78 is somewhat triangular in shape.

Rollers 70 are operably associated with the cam 76 for hingedly moving the pistons in the cylinders as the carrier 34 rotates. More particularly, and. as viewed in FIGURE 1, the shape of the cam 78 is such that as a piston is disposed in radial alignment with the top rounded surface 78b or any part of the bottom rounded surface 78d the pistons will be in an outwardly hinged position. However,

when the rollers 70 are moving along the front radially extending surface 78a or the rear radially extending surface 78e the pistons are disposed in an inwardly hinged position.

Insert 76 has a transversely extending recess 80 on one side of the cam 78, and this recess receives the rollers 72 an the pistons. Recess 88 follows precisely around the shape of the cam 78 and furthermore receives such rollers in a confined rolling engagement, whereby the pistons are held in close rolling engagement on the surface of cam 78 at all points of rotation of the carrier around the said zam.

The housing has fuel inlet means 82 which open into he interior thereof and also has a spark emitting memaer 84 such as a spark plug. A cut-out portion 85 is provided on the inner surface of the housing at the spark plug to form a compression cham-ber. The piston carrier 54 in operation rotates clockwise, FIGURE 1, in the direc- ;ion of arrow 86. The spark plug 84 is located clockwise from the Ifuel inlet means 82 and is arranged relative to the :am 78 for emitting .a spark at the time that a piston has Jrought a compressed gas charge into alignment therewith. An exhaust port 86 is disposed clockwise from the spark plug 84. Furthermore, an auxiliary exhaust port 88 may be located clockwise from the main exhaust port 86 for a reason set forth hereinafter. The fuel inlet means, spark plug, and exhaust ports are selectively located for accomplishing the functions of engine operation, and furthermore are connected with conventional mechanism for accomplishing their operation, such latter mechanism Jeing of well known construction and therefore not being shown.

It is to be understood that conventional means of lubri- :ating the present engine may be employed. That is, oil may be confined interiorly of the housing, or may be fed `:o the engine in the fuel mixture. Furthermore, lubrication of the engine may be assisted by grease fittings 90 mounted in the housing and adapted to direct grease into the inner surface of bearing bushing 36.

Operation FIGURE l shows a piston S in firing position. That is, this piston is substantially radially aligned with the spark plug 84 and since its roller 70 is moving across the top curved surface 7 8b of the cam 78 the piston is in an outwardly hinged position. Automatic control means at this instant causes the spark emitting means 84 to ignite a fuel mixture which has been picked up by the piston and compressed in the cylinder. The combustion of the fuel produces a downward thrust on the piston 50, and since the roller 70- is on `a right hand curved portion of the cam 78, namely just over the rounded top thereof, the carrier 34 will be urged rotatably in the direction of arrow 86. As the carrier advances, the roller of the piston which just received the propelling charge rolls down rear surface 78C to permit the piston to hinge inwardly and provide the necessary expansion of gases following the explosion. As the carrier advances yfurther by the propelling force on the said one piston, this piston is moved around toward the exhaust port whereby as the leading end thereof comes into alignment with such exhaust port, the roller simul taneously engages the enlarged bottom portion of the cam' to hingedly move the piston outwardly and exhaust spent gases. Upon further rotation of the carrier, the piston in question comes into alignment with the auxiliary exhaust port 88 to allow the exhaust of any gases which may not have been exhausted through the main exhaust port 88. When the piston is moved into registry with the fuel inlet conduit 82, the cam has moved it to an inner hinged position and the vacuum in the cylinder from such inward movement instantaneously draws in a charge of air fuel mixture. As the piston moves past the fuel inlet conduit 82 its rollers move up the front surface 78a of the cam to force the piston outwardly in its cylinder. This compresses the air fuel mixture for the purpose of providing the necessary combustion when the piston reaches the firing position.

Importantly, the present device performs the various stages of operation of an internal combustion engine without the use of intake and exhaust valves and all the complex mechanism for operating such valves. The parts are few and readily assembled and replaceable for maintenance.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A rotary internal combustion engine comprising a housing having an inner chamber defined by a circular inner wall, said housing having fuel inlet means, spark emitting means, and exhaust means communicating with said chamber; a piston carrier rotatably mounted in said chamber; means in said piston carrier defining one or more cylinders; pistons hingedly mounted in said cylinders for inward and outward hinged movement; inwardly extending cam follower means on said piston; stationary guide means in said housing engaged by said cam follower means for hingedly moving the pistons in said cylinders in functions of fuel inlet, fuel compression, firing, and exhaust upon rotation of said piston carrier, and an output shaft connected to said piston carrier for rotation therewith.

2. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said stationary guide means includes a cam portion.

3. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said stationary guide means includes a cam portion and a guideway.

4. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said stationary guide means includes a cam portion having a rear face extending substantially radially inwardly to allow the piston to hingedly move inwardly upon movement of said piston cam follower means therealong, said rear face of the cam portion and said spark emitting means being relatively disposed whereby said cam follower means is engaged with said rear face upon registry of the pistons with said spark emitting means to drive the piston carrier rotatably upon ring of said spark emitting means.

5. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said stationary guide means includes a cam portion, said cam portion having a forward face extending substantially radially outwardly for hingedly moving the pistons outwardly upon movement of said piston cam follower means therealong, said cam portion having a rear face extending substantially radially inwardly to allow the pistons to hingedly move inwardly upon movement of said piston cam follower means therealong, said rear face of the cam portion and said spark emitting means being relatively disposed whereby said cam follower means is engaged with said rear face upon registry of the pistons with said spark emitting means to drive the piston carrier rotatably upon firing of said spark emitting means.

6. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said stationary guide means includes a cam portion and a guideway portion, said cam portion being arranged to hingedly move said pistons outwardly in the function of fuel compression and said guideway being arranged to hold said pistons inwardly in the functions of exhaust and fuel inlet.

7. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said cylinders are disposed radially in said carrier and said cylinders comprise a disc-like structure.

8. The rotary internal combustion engine of claim 1 wherein said cylinders are disposed radially in said carrier and said cylinders comprise a disc-like structure and have a rounded outer surface of a radial curvature corresponding to the inner curvature of said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 11/ 1961 Mezzetta 123-1 3/1968 Blosser.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

5 L, H. GERIN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R. 

